Mize dazzles on the mound again while Torkelson cracks his first homer, powering the Tigers to a crucial victory.
Casey Mize continued his early-season dominance Wednesday night, and Spencer Torkelson delivered the swing Tigers fans had been waiting for.
Mize allowed one run over six innings and struck out seven, while Torkelson hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, to lift Detroit to a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park.
Detroit evened the series after dropping the opener and improved behind another efficient outing from Mize, who has now allowed one run or fewer in multiple starts this season.
The right-hander set the tone early, retiring the first six batters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts in a clean first inning. He worked primarily off his slider and splitter combination, generating weak contact throughout the night and limiting Milwaukee to scattered baserunners.
Milwaukee’s only run against Mize came in the third inning. Brice Turang drew a walk, stole second, and scored on William Contreras’ single to center, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead.
That would be the extent of the damage.
Mize settled in immediately after, retiring 10 of the next 11 hitters at one point. He did not allow an extra-base hit and consistently worked ahead in counts, finishing his outing with seven strikeouts and just one walk.
Detroit’s offense broke through in the fourth.
Riley Greene sparked the inning with a double, and Torkelson followed by driving a pitch to left-center field for a two-run home run, his first of the year, to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers added to the lead in the fifth. Javier Báez singled, and rookie Kevin McGonigle brought him home with a double to right. Colt Keith followed with an RBI single, extending Detroit’s advantage to 4-1.
Mize carried that lead into the seventh inning before exiting after issuing a leadoff walk. The Tigers bullpen preserved the advantage, with Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest bridging the gap to the ninth.
Milwaukee trimmed the deficit to 4-2 in the eighth on an RBI single from Jake Bauers, but Kerry Carpenter answered in the bottom half with a solo home run to right field, restoring a three-run cushion.
Closer Kenley Jansen worked a tense ninth inning, loading the bases before getting Brice Turang to ground out to first.
The Tigers finished with timely contributions throughout the lineup, highlighted by McGonigle’s two-hit night and RBI double, along with Keith’s run-scoring single. Torkelson’s home run proved to be the difference, snapping his early-season power drought and giving Detroit a lead it would not relinquish.
For Mize, the outing continued a strong stretch to open the season. He has four quality starts under his belt now.
Command Over Stuff (and Why It Matters)
Here’s where this outing separates itself.
Mize posted a 61% strike rate overall, but more importantly, look at how he attacked the zone:
- Slider zone%: 70
- Sinker zone%: 71
- Four-seam: 53
He wasn’t nibbling. He was challenging.
And yet, hitters still chased 19% of pitches outside the zone.
That’s sequencing flowing well.
Prior to the game, the Tigers called up RHP Burch Smith and sent down Emanuel De Jesus to Toledo.
Detroit will look to take the series in the finale, as Tarik Skubal takes the mound in a day game starting at 1:10pm.
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